What information do we hold?
Staff in SSW have access to the information on your central student record which is covered by the University’s Student Enrolment Privacy Notice. In addition, we will hold information provided by you regarding your disability, medical condition, mental health difficulty, Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), or any other diagnosis. These documents might be received directly by us e.g. if you have requested your doctor or assessor to provide it and/or if we receive information from a partner institution, external agent, previous educational establishment, academic School or other third party. We may also receive documents from funding bodies, such as a copy of your Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) award letter, if you receive a DSA. Copies of any letter which we have written on your behalf are also stored on our system, together with meeting notes relating to any meeting between you and SSW staff.
How do we use the information?
If you require reasonable adjustments relating to a disability, medical condition, mental health difficulty, SpLD, or any other diagnosis, we use the information to create an Inclusive Learning Plan (ILP) which will sit on your student record. The purpose of the ILP is to inform your School(s) and relevant Professional Services within the University about the required adjustments. One section of the ILP is the student profile, which will detail the impact of your disability/impairment on your studies. Where relevant, and only after you have approved the wording of the ILP, details of your condition may be shared, if this is required for the purpose of making the reasonable adjustments. However, if your School does not need to know details of your diagnosis or details of any treatment for the purpose of making the reasonable adjustments, these details will not be shared, unless you explicitly request this.
If part of your support includes the provision of non-medical help (e.g. a note-taker, SpLD tutor, or mentor), we will also use your information for the purpose of delivering this service and for audit purposes.
Your data will also be used for collating general statistical information about our service, for the purpose of service improvement. SSW will email you occasionally with information about our service and/or information considered to be of interest to users of our service, but will not use your information for marketing purposes.
With whom do we share information?
Your ILP, as described above, is available to relevant staff across the University who are involved in teaching you and/or arranging your support. This will include academic and professional services staff (e.g. the exams team), who will access your ILP for the purpose of making reasonable adjustments, to ensure appropriate support is provided and as part of any application for concessions. Staff will only have access to the relevant sections of your ILP, for the purpose of delivering appropriate support, with only limited staff in your School/College having full access.
Information will be shared with funding bodies and DSA assessment centres, for the purpose of enabling the timely progression of your DSA application, and with SpLD assessors, if you are referred by us for a diagnostic assessment. It will also be shared with external auditors who are responsible for overseeing the regulation of the DSA process.
Where we have concerns regarding the safety of a student, limited information may be shared with Campus Security, the University Medical Centre, the University Nursing Service and relevant external partners, for the purpose of protecting your safety and/or the safety of others.
SSW will never share your personal information with any third party (including family members), without seeking your explicit consent, other than in circumstances permitted within Data Protection Law.
How is the information stored?
In addition to the centrally held information, SSW keeps electronic files on a secure, encrypted system, which no member of staff outside SSW can access. Paper documents are scanned into the system and the paper copy is kept in secure filing cabinets. Information may also be stored in secure directories on the University’s central server and in email folders.
When is information destroyed?
All records, paper or electronic, are destroyed 6 years after you leave the University, unless there is a specific reason for them to be held for longer (e.g. You are still in contact with us about an outstanding issue or you have informed us that you are likely to return to Study in the near future).